Chapter 1083: Backlund in Chaos
Although the Sonia Sea wasn't like the Fog Sea, with it often being
filled with fog, the northern regions would occasionally fill up with a
rather thick fog every autumn and winter morning.
Alger Wilson's Blue Avenger was sailing in such an environment,
following the borders of the Sonia Island back to the Loen coast.
He had already spent too long in the North Sonia Sea, so he needed to
return for a routine report.
Within the pale white fog, the ghost ship quietly proceeded forward,
occasionally appearing like a dream that didn't leave any traces.
Alger was wrapped by the wind as he stood in midair in front of the
window, admiring the white world outside. He allowed his thoughts to
wander in different directions.
Suddenly, his eyes focused as some silvery-white light flashed in his
pupils. He saw a large sail through the fog in the distance, and a
massive ship silently cruised past.
This ship wasn't alone. Behind it were several similar ships. One, two,
three... they formed a fleet that spanned a great distance.
Feysac's Sonia Sea Fleet... They've all been mobilized... Where are they
heading to? Alger's feet landed on the deck.
His gaze immediately turned to the other side, where Sonia Island was
located.
After the various exchanges at the Tarot Club, Alger was already certain
that the world situation was tense, with war about to break out at any
moment. At that moment, he made some connections and made a guess.
To the Feysac Empire and the Loen Kingdom, Sonia Island was extremely
important. If it were occupied by the Loen Kingdom, Feysac's eastern
naval fleet would be completely blocked off in the cold north, unable to
vie for any of the various colonies in the Sonia Sea or head to East
Balam. Meanwhile, after waging war, if they wanted to threaten the Loen
Kingdom's hinterlands, they would have to cross the Amantha mountain
range or cross the Midseashire, passing through the defenses of several
counties. That would be extremely difficult.
And if Sonia Island was conquered by the Feysac Empire, then they could
use that as a base to attack all the ports in the north and central
regions of Loen, including but not limited to Enmat Harbor or Pritz
Harbor. If the Feysac commander was more daring and unfazed by the
losses, he could even be able to directly target the capital of the Loen
Kingdom, Backlund, which was not far from the port.
It was precisely because of this that the two countries had waged the
Twenty Year War. The Feysac Empire clinched victory, and they had
obtained the crucial southern path.
In the Battle of the Violated Oath, Loen had won the war but had failed
to regain this territory. Its strategic goals for the war were only
half-achieved.
Alger stared at this scene for a moment before speaking in a serious
tone, "Is war about to erupt...?"
In Backlund, a large number of airships from Feysac had entered from
North Borough and arrived above the huge city.
As soon as they drew near, the Holy Wind Cathedral seemed to have made
certain precautions. The howling of the wind intensified, turning into
several giant bluish-black blades that whistled towards the target like
surface-to-air missiles.
Seeing that the huge blades were about to hit the airbags of the
airship, an invisible layer of defense appeared and shielded it from all
the attacks.
Under the violent strike, the transparent "wall" shook, but ultimately
managed to hold on.
At the same time, the compartment for guns, projectile launchers, and
cannons of the airship opened up and aimed downwards.
Boom!
As a hurricane around the Holy Wind Cathedral took form, a loud
explosive boom emanated in every direction.
In such a terrifying storm, the airships were like boats sailing through
the sea where they met mountain-like waves and were about to be tossed
into the distance.
At that moment, the blood and rust-like beams of light flashed on the
leading airship. They enveloped all the other accompanying airships and
connected them together.
Suddenly, Feysac's airship fleet had stabilized in the hurricane and was
no longer a puny boat in the gigantic waves. The power of the high-level
Red Priest pathway belonged to war, and war was the art of gathering the
masses!
This was the authority of a War Bishop!
After the Feysacians blocked this wave of attacks, they took advantage
of the gap in between the wave of attacks to deliver their bombs through
the hatches and allow them to drop beneath them.
And in the hurricane, the trajectories of the bombs became
unpredictable.
Boom! Boom!
The cannon hatches also lit up and showed off their prowess that would
honor the God of War.
This airship fleet didn't attempt to travel through Backlund. After
entering North Borough, it immediately turned to West Borough, the
center of politics for the Loen Kingdom.
North Borough, Backlund University of Technology.
The withered Intis parasol tree leaves swayed in the wind. Students were
either carrying books or bags as they walked around the campus.
As a member of an institute of higher education, as the first batch of
students of this reorganized university, these young adults were full of
vigor. They looked forward to their future and would gather together
every day to discuss their ideals, recite poems, and research
technology. They were pure and happy.
Melissa Moretti walked amidst them as she raised her head to look at the
wall clock at the top of the main teaching building and involuntarily
hastened her pace.
She had to go to Chancellor Moment's office today to prepare for the
upcoming mechanical laboratory that was to be officially launched.
This was something that she enjoyed greatly, something which made her
feel happy every day. She felt that life on campus was so wonderful and
that her classmates were so adorable.
Subconsciously, Melissa looked at the steam locomotive in the middle of
the square. Its massive, complicated body was displaying its infinite
charm in the machinery industry.
Quite a number of students liked to gather there, knocking, hitting, and
analyzing its structure. As for the school, it didn't encourage or
forbid it.
The corners of Melissa's lips curled into a smile as she moved to look
away.
Suddenly, a metallic gray object descended from the sky and landed in
the middle of the square.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as all the windows of the main teaching
building shattered. If not for the distance, Melissa might've been
thrown up by the blast of air.
Countless screams rang out, and like the other students, Melissa fled in
panic, not knowing what had happened.
She was only 16 years old after all---she had never experienced such a
scene before.
The billowing dust and smoke gradually fell. After hiding behind a tree,
Melissa subconsciously looked at the spot where the explosion had just
occurred.
Her expression instantly froze, and her eyes glazed over.
The steam locomotive's head was already in pieces, its components and
fragments were scattered everywhere.
The students around it, and those passing by, had already collapsed to
the ground, their bodies no longer intact. They were no longer
breathing. Some of them were covered in blood, others charred. There
were some moaning in pain.
This scene was like an oil painting that wasn't realistic enough.
Melissa stared at it in a daze, momentarily at a loss for a reaction.
Carter---she knew that male student who had a great spirit for research.
Every time everyone was in discussion, he would confidently say that he
was going to be a ship engineer. Now, he only had half his lower body
left, and his intestines were all over the ground.
Eudora---she was a student from the same faculty as her. Despite
studying machinery, she loved poetry very much and was rather talented
in this aspect. She was loved by the people around her. Sometimes,
Melissa would also attend their gatherings and quietly listen to
Eudora's recital. She felt that this girl was really attractive, but
now, her leg was badly mutilated, and she was moaning half-consciously
in pain.
In just a few seconds, these people's future had been cruelly changed.
It was only when many teachers rushed out of the teaching block and
started to rescue the injured and evacuate the students that Melissa
woke up from her trance and hurriedly moved closer to the teachers.
"Listen to me! All of you are to split up into two groups. One batch
will head to the laboratories, and the other to Tiffany Cathedral. They
all have an underground area that you can hide in." One of the teachers
wore a look of terror, but he still held his breath and made
arrangements with his clear voice as though he had been specially
trained.
He looked around and saw that the students didn't dare to leave the
teachers. He hurriedly said, "Don't worry. The enemy's airship has
already turned and gone to West Borough. There's no danger here."
His words were accompanied by a rumbling explosion that came from the
southwest.
West Borough... The kingdom's parliament, various departments, and
municipal halls are there... Upon hearing the teacher's words, Melissa
immediately thought of many things.
As the light in her eyes flickered, she suddenly pursed her lips tightly
and ran towards the school gate, ignoring her teacher calling from
behind.
As she moved along a sheltered area, Melissa quickly arrived on the
streets. She panted heavily and looked around, trying to get her
bearings.
At that moment, she saw the subway entrance nearby. Although she was
flustered, she still remembered what the teacher had just said.
"...underground area that you can hide in!"
Isn't the subway underground? The bombing has just started, and the
subway probably hadn't stopped moving... As her thoughts raced, Melissa
rushed towards the entrance that showed signs of bombardment.
Upon going underground, she realized that the people here weren't as
many as she had expected. Most ordinary people who had never been
trained wouldn't think of hiding in here immediately.
The subway had indeed not stopped moving, but no one was checking the
tickets. After a short wait, Melissa ran over, her lips tightly pursed
and her face filled with anxiety.
After three stops, the subway stopped at King's Avenue. Melissa squeezed
through the crowd and rushed out of the carriage.
She had already recovered her stamina. She ran along the stairs, her
speed increasing ever so slightly before she quickly reached the
surface.
At this moment, whatever she could see was in a state of chaos. Many
buildings had collapsed as they were burning in scarlet flames. Broken
limbs, blood, and the dead were everywhere. She could hear cries,
screams, and orders.
Upon seeing this scene, Melissa became even more anxious as she tried to
run towards the four-story building where the kingdom's Ministry of
Finance was located.
However, the area had already been sealed. She could see that many
window panes had shattered. The walls were riddled with bullet holes,
and there were still traces of an explosion.
Melissa tried to enter the perimeter but was stopped by the soldiers who
were maintaining order. This only served to increase her anxiety as her
eyes reddened.
At this moment, she saw a familiar figure. It was the black-haired,
brown-eyed Benson who wasn't wearing a hat.
Upon seeing Melissa, Benson immediately rushed over. He looked anxious
and angry as he shouted, "Why are you here? Why aren't you hiding
underground! I'm very safe here!
"Quick, follow me there!"
Didn't you not go underground either... Melissa, who had never been
shouted at by her brother, wanted to instinctively retort, but her
vision was already blurry.
"Phew..." After he shouted, he let out a breath and softened his tone.
"It's good that you're okay. Quick, don't wander around on the streets."
Upon hearing his words, the panic and concern in Melissa's heart calmed
down. At this moment, she felt that even if she were to die, it wouldn't
be that scary anymore. At least, she wouldn't be the only one left at
home.
At this moment, a bomb was blown over by a hurricane and was landing
towards the area.
But suddenly, the bomb changed directions abruptly and flew off
horizontally.
Boom!
It exploded in midair, only stirring up a blast of air.