Hello, Arknights

Chapter 357: Height, Dust, and Birds

"...Shame. Caister, how much do you hate them? Why didn't you give the order to retreat? No, why didn't you send out three Steam Knights in the first place?!"

A Filin woman with a mask covering one eye and a commanding presence made suppressed accusations through the communication terminal, while the sword guards beside her remained silent as a fragment of the battle report, torn apart by rage, flew past their eyes. The Duke's rage made no one else on the deck dare to speak out. The only one who could accuse a Grand Duke so harshly that he had to carefully consider his answer could only be another Grand Duke of equal or even greater size.

Ampherice Windermere, the Grand Duke of Victoria who was able to "cut down the sword of the tower", was stationed on the border between Victoria and Leithania. She was powerful and benevolent, and controlled considerable military power. Even among the eight Grand Dukes, her influence was the most important one that could not be ignored.

"Windermere, please don't bring up your prejudice against me. I have tried to make amends, but in fact, twenty of the 'Gray Hats' who went to support Cattrall were killed." The woman's voice on the other end of the communication was still steady and without any fluctuations.

"Cast, do you think you're funny?" Windermere no longer felt the slightest bit of absurdity. She just felt that Caster was deliberately trying to provoke her, and unfortunately, he did it.

"My brother has also said that I lack a sense of humor, and I am not one to joke in situations like this. Duke Windermere, if you truly want to have a say, you should experience the suffering of this disaster yourself. I haven't experienced it, but I can see it."

"...Kaster, you have to give an explanation for your arrogance, not for me!" Filin growled and almost smashed the military dedicated line communication terminal, and then she immediately began to make arrangements.

"Corporal, in ten minutes, have Daphne run to Leithnia for me," Windermere said calmly. She needed to negotiate to withdraw from the border, but the voice that responded to her was the one she was most familiar with:

"Your Excellency. I wish I could do something more practical."

The only person who had the courage to contradict the Duke was naturally the person who was arranged here, Amphillis's daughter, Delphine.

As a mother, the Duke of Windermere naturally knew her daughter's thoughts and felt a little troubled, but she still said patiently, "Delphion, this mission is not safe. I will tell you what to do later. You need to be extremely cautious along the way."

"Duke, I know what you mean." A look of sadness flashed across the eyes of the gray-blue-haired Filin girl. She simply felt that if the worst came to the worst, being detained by the Elector of Leithania would be much better than going deep into the bloody battlefield. It was said that the swift action of Leithania's Golden Law Guards was very effective in controlling the bloody monsters that invaded Leithania.

"But even you can't sit idly by and watch this disaster, right? I don't want to be a warrior who avoids danger." Daphne said anxiously.

The Duke sighed and said nothing more. He simply instructed one of his trusted followers, "You will also accompany her on this trip. If she insists on returning without being troubled, you will contact people for support."

"Yes." The sword guard nodded and walked towards Daphne. The latter knew that the Duke had made a decision and stopped arguing.

Windermere looked into the distance and could not see any smoke on the horizon, but she knew that many soldiers had died in the burning ruins last night, and the elite of a country had been sent to death by the arrogance of a ruler.

No matter if it was the Steam Knight or the Grey Hat, human life was measured so openly by the Duke of Caster, and was casually used as a "chip" to be bet. Even a rational person like Windermere could no longer tolerate it.

The powerful people in high places finally couldn't help but break the situation.

……

Londinium, Norbert district.

The scattered newspapers lie on the ground, just like the three ruined counties of Victoria at this moment.

"The battlefront has failed! The bloody battlefield is about to completely border Xiaoqiu County! This is the fourth county! Citizens of all groups please do not panic. Citizens in unaffected areas should heed the Empire's call and evacuate in an orderly manner!"

"Dead news! Steam Knight Sir Kellett was killed on the front lines of Trin County after slaying two Bloody Earthshakers!"

"The refugees fleeing Xiaoqiu County are potentially carrying infectious agents. If you discover any, please notify the nearest medical center immediately!"

Looking at the panicked crowds on the street buying up portable supplies, Baird closed the curtains. The evacuation broadcast was not meant for them at all, but the anxious crowd spread terrible emotions that made them rush to "prepare for a rainy day."

If even they, who were in Londinium, had to evacuate, if the blood-red monsters had reached the heart of Victoria, wouldn't it be useless to escape anywhere?

The purple-haired film woman huddled in the "Beat the Jaw" boxing gym at the moment didn't know, or perhaps most of the citizens of Londinium didn't know, that there were more than twenty Steam Knights stranded in the same city with them, but they had been unable to receive proper orders to go into battle, and even when they did, there were usually no more than three of them. The battle report sent in last night was the first time they had suffered a loss of men.

"Vina, I don't know whether you should come back under the current circumstances..."

"I hope you can come back. You said you wouldn't leave and never come back. I really hope someone can become the backbone of our gym again... I'm really tired."

There was another noisy sound outside the window. Baird drooped his cat ears helplessly: "But now, I don't want you to come back. It's too dangerous... Besides, there's nothing you can do, right?"

"Baird, there's trouble outside. They want to take advantage of the chaos to seize territory." The newcomer to the boxing gym broke her private space.

Baird felt irritated. Dealing with such things was her daily routine now. Even in this situation, there were still people who didn't know how to live or die and came to cause trouble, as if they thought that as long as the danger didn't really fall on them, it didn't matter what happened to other people.

She never shows mercy when beating these people.

"Let's go, get those bastards out of our territory!" Drawing out his butterfly knife, Baird closed the door and locked his mind in the darkness.

In the dust, people have to struggle to survive no matter what.

Londinium Military Camp.

"Lynch, are you okay? You look... bad." Lynch's colleagues looked at him with some concern. The latter sat in the corner with a gloomy face, shook his head and said nothing.

In fact, everyone else knew that he was feeling bad, and so did they. It was just that Charles Lynch was the youngest and the angriest. Kellett was his guide and also his closest senior. When he heard the bad news last night, he was furious and had a conflict with the garrison, which triggered a fight. Before he could knock down the twelfth person, he was stopped by the Duke's messenger. He calmed down only after beating the messenger down.

"...There's no point in us staying here any longer." The most senior Steam Knight spoke after a long silence. "They won't let us unleash our full potential..."

"...Do we have a choice?" Lynch said hoarsely, standing up from the ground. His voice was low and his chest was aching. "Isn't Victoria...backed by us?"

"Without Victoria, how can we fight? And for whom can we fight?"

They had been inspected by the Lion King, and received flowers and salutes, but now the Lion King was long gone and there was no news from the Crown Prince.

They were once commanded by the Duke, felt the roar of the battlefield, and turned into a roaring victory, but now the Duke removed their positions and dismantled the steam armor.

They once admired the sharp edge of the Breath of Kings and remembered the glory of an era, but now with the king gone, the sword is also hidden deep in the underground corridor.

So, how can they continue to fight for Victoria, and what can they do to stay on the right path?

No one answered Lynch's question, because the twenty-seven steam knights were equally shrouded in the same confusion.

The steam-powered birds lost their way.