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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Kill and rob people!” Little Li exclaimed immediately. “It’s the fastest way to get rich!”
“Something that doesn’t involve murder?”
“Threats and blackmail!”
“Something other than criminal activity?”
“Cheat somebody legally!”
“Without making enemies of everyone, please…”
“Bet high stakes and win!”
“Gambling is too risky.”
“Go treasure hunting in the most dangerous places!”
“Isn’t that just gambling with our lives at stake?”
Little Li scowled. “You’re impossible! You want to make money, but you won’t do anything! How are you ever going to earn at all?!”
“Isn’t there an honest way to do it?” Remian groaned. “How much money can I make working as a shop assistant?”
Little Li gave him a flat stare. The Xue Elder coughed into his hand lightly. “When I was younger, and was forced to work in our Clan Shops as punishment… I received one yellow crystal a day.”
Remian paled. One yellow cryst
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Kingdom of the Weak 262. Ongoing
All told, Remian was having a very bad day. It started off reasonably enough. They had him outfitted for leather armor, had him try a few weapons, of which he was most familiar with the sword, spear, and crossbow. Among the three, Big Li easily settled upon having him take a crossbow, because, she said, at his level of skill, trying to use a sword or spear in battle would have him killed in no time. Remian gritted his teeth and bore it all while wondering, [Is this what my world would have been like without mana?] [Very likely.] Death agreed. They also had him carry some equipment specific to Man-Eating Vinetraps, specifically some salty-smelling dough in a tightly sealed urn. Oddly enough, nobody else seemed to be weighed down with bait. Hesitantly, he asked about it. “We all need to do our part.” Big Li said, shrugging. “You don’t seem suitable for any other role, so…” In other words, he was useless in a fight, and thus he was the ba
Kingdom of the Weak 263. Whispers
They made it to the Red Mist Forest without much incident and put Remian to work. He was their walking communications center, tasked with keeping the forward scouts (Big Li, Zhao Feng and Wushuang) and the rear guard (two of the guards) in contact with the main group (everyone else). Two hours into this nervous entry, Remian sensed something. “Watch out! There’s something big coming from that side!” “Are you sure?” “Absolutely!” They gathered in a hurry, just in time to receive a giant centipede that spat acid. “Everyone, stay back!” Wushuang leapt forward. “This one is mine!” Remian blinked. “Uh… shouldn’t we all surround it, and…?” “It’s just an Early Innate Qi stage monster. Wushuang wants to test out her new technique. We should just let her.” Big Li shrugged. Wushuang dodged acid and slammed her weapon into the centipede’s face. “Frost Explosion!” There was a burst of power, and then ice fountained out from
Kingdom of the Weak 264. In this world, the best way to get a girl’s attention is…
[Lem Yan and Wushuang…?] Big Li blinked at them as they chorused their reply side by side. [That’s… unexpected.] Little Li was also surprised. [How come Cousin Wushuang is suddenly sharing secrets with Lem Yan? How come she doesn’t share secrets with me?!] Even Mu Hou thought, [Oh? So it’s her he’s after? That makes sense. Even if she looks like a beggar, Xue Wushuang is still a member of the Xue Clan. He can get all the resources and support he needs if he manages to land her. Who cares about beauty when the woman comes with money, eh? Wise decision. He’s smart enough to know he has no chance with Li-er. At least he knows his own place.] Zhao Feng meanwhile, thought, [Why is she paying attention to them? Is the real secret of Red Mist Forest in Wushuang’s hands, or Lem Yan’s?] Oddly enough, Wushuang’s thoughts buzzed with the answer. [Is Big Li worried I might tell Lem Yan about the Treasure? No, no, this has nothing to do with that…] Remian
Kingdom of the Weak 265. Burn
Not long after that, Remian and company found their first Man-Eating Trapvine. Or rather, it found them. "Plant…" Remian was actually asleep at the time, while Wushuang and Hou were on watch. In his dreams, he dreamed of green, and blood thirst, and nice, warm food nearby… "WAKE UP!" Wushuang suddenly screamed, jolting everybody awake with the sheer alarm in her voice. "Attacked by Trapvine!" That was a very concise alert, in Remian's opinion. Wushuang was a rather good sentry, even without Psionic powers. The Man-Eating Trapvine had barely slipped a dozen tendrils of vine into the firelight. Remian had enough time to sit upright, look around, scramble to his feet and grab for some sort of weapon before a rush of tendrils started grabbing at people. He first reached for his crossbow, but then thought better of it and grabbed a burning branch from the campfire as a torch. On impulse, he even grabbed the saucepan, still bearing small bits of roa
Kingdom of the Weak 266. Treasure
"From now on, everyone do what Lem Yan did." Hou instructed the surviving guards and carriers. "What I did?" Lem Yan… err… Remian... blinked. "Grab a torch, and carry some oil with you." Hou instructed. "If a giant vine tries to grab you burn it! If burning it a little isn't enough, throw the oil on and burn it even more!" "Uh… right." Remian didn't want to tell them that it wasn't oil that made his fire flare up and all. Actually, come to think of it, what Hou was saying was exactly what he should have done. His instructions were not wrong. Hou's instructions in general were sound. In terms of command and tactical thinking, he was actually clearer minded than the others, an In-Charge sort while the others were more of Charge-In types. Too bad he was a greedy, murderous lecher. It was the morning after the night ambush. The group had collected fifteen gourds full of Trapvine sap and were now about to track their attacker back to its lair.
Kingdom of the Weak 267. Fires
While Remian was watching Wushuang and Little Li salvage small pieces of metal from around the spaceship (at the same time trying very hard NOT to hear the scheming and romancing going on around Big Li), Darian was awakening to a whole new world. "What… happened?" Darian glanced about. "Where am I?" [You're at the Nine Kings Defense Line, Central Command Camp.] Har'es-dras yawned beside him. Darian had been laid down on his flank under a large tree at a camp that was still being set up. There were cookfires and tents spread around for hundreds of meters, and several towers being built on the hill nearby. There was Arnold, trying to tinker around with a newly made tank, and George was farther away, with a group of engineers trying to set up what looked like a huge catapult. "Is there really any point to all this?" Darian gestured around him. "I mean, one Tier 8 Spectre alone could probably wipe out all the fortifications without much effort." "
Kingdom of the Weak 268. Moving Out
Behind Remian, Mu Hou was really upping his game. “My dear Li-er, your eyes are as beautiful as the star lilies, and your hair is like the black lotus itself! What other adornment could match you other than the Blue Phoenix Hairpin being auctioned off the day after tomorrow?” “Aww! How sweet! Feng-feng! Feng-feng!” Big Li prodded Zhao Feng, in a spoiled tone. “Can you say something nice like that?” “You smell good.” Zhao Feng said shortly. Big Li whapped him over the head with a blush. [Do I really smell?! Oh dear, I’ve been all sweaty all day…] Mu Hou had to fight to keep his face from turning darker. [Keep cool… don’t show your jealousy… don’t show it… don’t! But why? Why is it that I have been scoring points all this while yet she still seems to be paying him more attention?!] Yueli noticed that the more she tried to flirt with Feng-feng, the harder Mu Hou tried to grab her attention, adding promises upon promises. Zhao Feng, meanwh
Kingdom of the Weak 269. Not An Egg
In a crater, there was a shipwreck. In the shipwreck, there was a docking bay. And in the docking bay was a smaller craft. There were also lots of rodents around, plus a big snake underneath, so Remian was careful to tiptoe his way in without disturbing anyone too much. Several mice-lizard creatures complained anyway, but did not do anything to disrupt his sneaking. “Is there a way in…?” Remian examined it, but that ovoid shape just sat there like the stone everyone else had mistaken it for. No visible doors or windows… lots of etchings and lines and markings that could actually be openings, of a sort… but none that Remian knew how to open or trigger. Hmm… All around him, Psionic Emanations echoed, like signboards of a language he could hardly make out. If he wasn’t certain before, he was sure now; the fellows who built this spaceship were strong Psionics and Psionics were part of this ship’s design and function. Maybe it worked as a control m
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- Kingdom of the Weak
523. Comms
Somewhere along the line, he’d lost consciousness. George only realized it when he woke up to a splitting headache. “Ow.” He groaned. “What... where...?” “We’re on the way back to Sorrel.” Grace told him, appearing by his bedside. And it was a bedside, he realized. He seemed to be in the Kara’s Medical Bay. “I’m sorry. We had to retreat.” “Our... people?” George managed. “The HAC Troopers made it back. The Mechs... did not.” Grace paused. “We have the refugees though. And the Robotic Assembly Plant for Mining Drones. That’s all they managed to grab.” George slurred. “Mech pilots?” “Alive, if battered.” “Good. Alive is good.” George sighed. “This... didn’t go so well.” “Hey, at least we got the guys we were trying to save, and some machinery on top of that. You might say it was a success. A costly one, but a success.” “Casualties?” George asked. “Plenty of injuries to go around, but no deaths. So far.” Grace paused. “Some of the really badly injured might change that before lo
- Kingdom of the Weak
522. Second Aid Mission
“Were these really the best you could do?” George asked, eyeing the six hulking figures in front of him hesitantly. “Mmm.” Juni grunted. In front of them were six brand new Mechs. 2nd Generation products, they were armored weapons platforms on legs, with jumpjets for the signature ‘jumps’ that earned their generation the nickname, ‘Jumpers’. Or were they? George wasn’t entirely sure. When he looked at them, they really looked more like 1st Generation Walker-types. Those Jump Jets seemed to be an afterthought, an added equipment haphazardly strapped to their backs. “Would they really work right?” Juni shrugged. Given the time and materials he had to work with, George supposed he couldn’t expect better. He had only just received 2nd Gen tech. Until now, he’d been working with 1st Gen expectations and schematics. One of these Mechs seemed a bit worn, evidence that it had been built quite some time ago, and only recently been modified for George’s requests. “Fusion Cell for power, Pu
- Kingdom of the Weak
521. Next Step
It turned out that they also needed to acquire salvage rights to haul away ‘scrap metal’. Fortunately, that was a simple affair now that they had local currency. 50 USD and the matter was done. Grant, being the nearest specialist on matters of scrap to their location, graciously offered to transport their ‘scrap’ directly to their vessel out of sheer goodwill. Finally Benny and Sam went to try out the barbecued skewers. At Grant’s recommendation, though, they didn’t go to the Starport roadside stall. They ended up at another roadside stall run by a ‘foreign refugee’ someplace downtown not too far from Grant’s workshop. There, each skewer was loaded with rows of thick, juicy beef sausages, and only cost 20 USD for 10. Benny stretched. “Not bad for our first day. We’ve got three days here, don’t we? But we’ve already got half of what we wanted.” “What’s the other half?” Sam asked. “Technical manuals on engineering, power and propulsion. Tech, basically.” Benny yawned. However, whe
- Kingdom of the Weak
520. Uber States Colony
“Black Fang, you are cleared for docking. Follow the designated path and welcome to Trifer, colony of the Uber States.” Benny stood on the observation deck of the Black Fang below the bridge, listening to the conversation between the comms officer and the dock authorities. He eyed the massive sprawl of structures and smoke emitted below and wondered. “This is what they call a ‘small’ colony?” The colony was bigger than Craggy Falls, Kara-Goth and Nightshade City put together. “Just how many people live here?” Benny asked next. “According to our sensors, about half a million.” The bridge crew told him. Okay, that was less than the human population of the Sorrelian Migration, which, after including the Cumin survivors, was over 800,000. They shared the sensor feed with Benny, Sam and Foxy. Looking at the scope, Benny realized that most of the colony below consisted of machinery and robots. Furthermore, what he saw on the surface wasn’t even half the colony. The entire complex went
- Kingdom of the Weak
519. Scoop
That evening, Benny and Sam left with Tim’s battle group, headed for the nearest Uber States outpost with medicine in the cargo holds. This left only one freight galleon to ferry materials and regretful space miners from the surface to Sky Haven. “It’s going too slow.” Remian decided. “I need to call Raven.” With Mindy busy trading across star systems, Raven had inherited (bought over) her airship fleet and company on the surface. They built more gunships and scout ships than freighters these days, mainly focused on providing recon and fire support to ground forces fighting Undead. But it was those freighters Remian needed now, the bigger the better. “We need them refitted for extreme high altitudes, as high as they can go.” Remian explained. “Also we need them spaceworthy, at least up to low orbit.” “You want our airship freighters to fly into space?!” Raven spluttered. “Yes, but not on their own. I want them to haul cargo and passengers as high up as they can. Around 30km woul
- Kingdom of the Weak
518. We should call Remian
“Relax, I’m not asking you to build them from scratch. You’ll need to remodel a Galleon and a trio of our current Dropships. We do want proper Mech Carriers in the future, but for now, we need to deploy urgently, so we’ll just remodel what we have.” Ermine brought up some projections. “The Mechs in question are going to be Light Walkers, designed and built by J-Armory. Juni’s had a workable prototype for a long time, but it’s never been needed until now. Live testing is scheduled to start in three days. They’re powered by Fusion Cells, the kind that looks like dustbins, so you won’t need to worry about fuel lines, just cell-swapping. You won’t need to worry about replacing the He3 in the Fusion Cells either; spent cells will be sent back to J-Armory for recycling or refueling or whatever it is they do. Same goes for the weapons; Jamie’s J-Arsenal will handle maintenance and replacement and all that. The ship only needs to carry the Mechs, deploy them, and run basic maintenance. Repai
- Kingdom of the Weak
517. Objectives and Objections
They met online the next day. Remian opted out, letting them handle it. Upon bringing up the subject of the Woofers’ request for more aid across different planets… Ermine snorted. “I refuse.” “What?” George stared. “I refuse to help them.” Ermine said stoutly. “I know that you guys all have some sort of savior syndrome, and it’s something that Remian seemed to have passed down from the very beginning, the sort of meddlesome hero complex that has you all trying to save the world at personal cost, but I’m no hero. I’m Tau, and we’re practical survivalists. We simply can’t afford to go around saving everybody. We need all our strength and resources to save ourselves. As for the Woofers, as a collective, they are a Class 5 Star Civilization, a whole class more advanced and stronger than us. They have their own governments and their own fleets. Let the Woofers help the Woofers.” Xiao Yan cut in. “As you say, they are a Class 5 Star Civilization. Since you’re talking about praticality, t
- Kingdom of the Weak
516. Changing Gear
“Go, go, go!” green light flared in the bay of the Dropship as the floor fell away. George and twelve other figures were unceremoniously dumped on the ground nine feet below. They landed with heavy impacts. George staggered, realizing the gravity on this world was at least twice what he was accumstomed to back home. For a moment, he regretted leaving his Frame back on the ship, but they were here to clear the bandits out from a city center, meaning tight spaces, narrow access points, and needing to take care to avoid civilian casualties. Or at least, that was the plan. George and his squad had been deposited on the outskirts of the city, at the very border of a suburban district. “Incoming!” someone yelled. George crouched as something exploded; the ground shook and chunks of dirt flew through the air. “Get to cover! Return fire!” George called, even though he wasn’t entirely sure where the attackers were, exactly. The guys diving behind nearby garages and a public toilet clued hi
- Kingdom of the Weak
514. Out there
Quite predictably, the first of those calls to reach Sorrel II was from their dear friends, the Woofers. Three Paws explained it. [This is from Kelso III. It’s an agrarian world, roughly eighty hours’ flight from here for our fleet. Local gang bosses have titled themselves warlords and suppressed the citizenry with brute force. They take whatever they want, and demand whatever payment they like, on pain of death or torture. Local law enforcement has been completely overrun and even planetary militia couldn’t save the settlements under their control. The best our local paws could do is contain the situation and prevent it from getting worse.] Remian sipped hot coffee. Eighty hours flight for the Woofers Fleet should mean a bit less than seventy for the Tau fleet. “That’s rough. But what’s the point of calling us here to tell us this?” [We can help them. Just one division of your fleet could make a huge difference against these local gangs.] At the moment, the Sorrelian fleet consist
