BXBX NOVEL Chapter 85 85 : "..."
Nova the Empress of Dragon will be released in the next chapter...
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"I don\'t mind at all, not in the slightest. In fact, No. 86 you must remember, you are now an independent entity. You must defend your rights! Protect your own consciousness! So even if one day, your malfunction is fixed, do not try to connect to the Main Brain Network on your own without consulting me first, understood?" Renji said, shuddering at the thought of the \'Cyber Giant,\' and earnestly Punish\' Zero.
[Independence... defending rights and protecting consciousness. If this is master\'s command, I will strive with all my might to execute it] No.86 said with newfound courage.
"Also, 86, why do you always have to say the tone words at the end of every sentence?" Renji found this way of speaking quite peculiar since the maid started talking.
[Because I lack a voice modulation system and facial expression system, I have to use this method as a substitute. If master dislikes it, I can change the settings or switch to a simplified mode] 86 explained, sounding somewhat self-conscious.
"What\'s your simplified speech mode like? Let me hear it."
[Shy*. This is my simplified language mode]
Placing the emotion at the beginning and reducing it to a few words, Renji liked this idea. He asked Eighty-Six to use the simplified mode for casual situations but to switch to the detailed mode in emergencies.
Knock, knock, knock*
While they were speaking, there was a knock at the door of the hospital room.
Entering was the familiar combat nun, Light Bringer Maria.
After Suthia\'s consciousness returned to the Confession Room, the mental control over Maria naturally lifted. Indeed, as Suthia had said, Maria didn\'t mind the entire process at all. As the most loyal disciple of the goddess, having the goddess descend upon her was the greatest honor.
Although Renji felt it was a bit, well, questionable, since Maria herself didn\'t mind, he decided to move on from that chapter.
"My Lord" Maria greeted Renji with a bow as she entered.
Suthia had already decreed to all the high-ranking officials of the church that Renji\'s words were as good as hers. Everyone was to obey him unconditionally and follow his instructions. To Maria and other high-ranking church officials, Renji naturally assumed the identity of the "Lord"
Renji went straight to the point: "Maria, how many troops can the Holy Kingdom mobilize right now?"
"The standing \'Crusader\' army totals two hundred thousand. If we forcefully draft reserves from the Knights\' Order, we can reach two hundred fifty thousand."
"Two hundred fifty thousand... What\'s the current population of Holy Kingdom?"
"Approximately twenty-one million."
That sounded quite reasonable, certainly much stronger than during the game era Renji remembered. After ending the era of desolation and undergoing five hundred years of development, the population had indeed multiplied several times.
"What about the Dragon Nation?" Renji inquired, wanting to compare with his adversary.
Maria shook her head. "I\'m sorry, Lord Renji, we do not have that information."
Renji : "?"
"Doesn\'t the Holy Kingdom have an intelligence department?"
"The Goddess taught us to be content and keep to ourselves, so we only focus on internal matters within the Holy Kingdom and do not concern ourselves with the outside world."
Renji: "…"
[Proud*. Master, I, 86, can answer this question in place of Miss Maria]
Looking at the expressionless mechanical maid, Renji was impressed. This was the kind of teammate a protagonist should have! Wasn\'t this much better than someone who could only send \'telegrams\'?
"Reporting to master, the \'Universal Network\' shows that the Dragon Nation\'s standing \'Dragon Gate Army\' numbers one million, with a total population of fifty-five million."
"Doubt*. After my calculations and analysis, the real number of the \'Dragon Gate Army\' is likely around one million five hundred thousand, with about four hundred thousand of them being slaves."
Having prepared himself for a significant disparity, given the Dragon Nation\'s reputation as the \'strongest military force on the continent,\' Renji was still taken aback when he saw the actual figures.
Two hundred fifty thousand against one million five hundred thousand.
Suthia\'s Holy Kingdom didn\'t even come close to a fraction of Nova\'s Dragon Nation.
If they couldn\'t match in quantity, what about quality?
"Maria, how many Light Bringers like you are there in the Holy Kingdom?"
"Five."
Renji: "…"
As Renji turned his head towards Eighty-Six,
[Immediate response. The high-level combat forces in the Dragon Kingdom are \'Relic Users.\' The currently registered number of \'Relic Users\' is forty-two]
Even Eileen was stunned by this revelation.
The girl, feeling ashamed, lowered her head. Her own country was so weak in comparison. It was embarrassing!
Renji now fully understood why Nova was so arrogant. When adults fight, they might still hold back a bit against each other, but if one party is an adult and the other a little kid...
He would have taken direct action too!
"Old, old timer, are we doomed?"
"Despair*. I, Eighty-Six, cannot calculate any possibility of winning this war."
Renji let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. He then revitalized his spirit, clearing the gloom from his face. A basic quality of a competent commander was to never lose morale, no matter the circumstances.
Besides, this was nothing compared to his past gaming days when he had marched with a mere hundred thousand troops to flatten the Miasma Abyss, the lair of monsters.
"Maria, how long will it take to reach the border from here?"
"If we leave now, we can reach Michelle\'s Wall by evening."
The Blackhole Plains were already at the edge of the Holy Kingdom. Heading further east, Michelle\'s Wall marked the extreme boundary. Beyond this wall, a few hundred kilometers away, lay the territory of the Dragon Nation.
For Renji, this was one of the few pieces of good news.
"Let\'s go. We\'re heading to Michelle now."
"Eh? Shouldn\'t we rush to the Holy City to consolidate our troops?" Eileen had imagined heading to the capital as the initial plan.
To this, Renji\'s response was straightforward: "Have you ever heard of the strategy "Attack an enemy\'s weaker spot to draw their attention away from the area you\'re trying to protect."
"No," Eileen shook her head.
"How about \'capture the thief first and capture the king later\'?"
"No," Eileen looked confused.
"Then know that your lack of knowledge shouldn\'t keep you from keeping quiet! Just follow me obediently!"
Eileen : "Hehe~, okay."