In the Name of Empress-Chapter 526 - 330: Sea Witch Alone Isn’t Enough (Part 3)

Chapter 526: Chapter 330: Sea Witch Alone Isn’t Enough (Part 3)

The Magic Mirror made a reasonable and evidence-based argument, leaving Sif speechless for a while, but fortunately Roland empathetically came to her rescue.

"Sif, this list is not complete, and it doesn’t reflect your strengths. If the scope were expanded to include all human women..."

"Then Adina certainly wouldn’t make it into the top fifty, and Sif would still be first." The Magic Mirror may lack intelligence but not emotional intelligence; it also sensed the destructive anger stirring within Sif. Although it wasn’t afraid of Sif’s wrath, it wasn’t worth risking a fallout with its young master over such a trivial matter.

The Magic Mirror transformed, taking the form of a puppet Sif, and teased with a playful smile:

"Ah, I actually forgot about myself. Now updating the rankings, Sif is still first, Magic Mirror Sif is second, and others’ rankings move down accordingly."

Not being considered as a life form, the Magic Mirror naturally couldn’t be included in the ranking. It did this solely to kick Adina out of the Top Ten Beauty list. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The Magic Mirror’s flexible bottom line made Roland unable to hold back laughter.

"Just laugh if you can’t help it," Sif grumbled with a stern face. She was trying hard to restrain herself, but still couldn’t help but laugh.

Laughter has an infectious quality; as Sif laughed, Roland and the Magic Mirror joined in, and the traces of hardship dissipated in the laughter.

Although the deadly pressure brought by Sofia still existed, the thought of her failing to kill Christine only to be awakened to the Holy Mark eased Sif’s burden significantly.

No matter how powerful Sofia might be, she isn’t invincible.

When Christine appears again before her, will the perfect confidence built over these victorious years crack?

That’s my opportunity.

Sif silently pondered.

...

Spring fades into summer, July in the Rodinia is the hottest season of the year. Even the most belligerent war enthusiasts rarely launch military operations at this time.

But the Prudon people are an exception.

Their current monarch, Otto VI, is extremely belligerent, constantly clamoring to restore the glory of Odin, even allocating seventy percent of the fiscal revenue to military construction and armament production.

After the disastrous defeat at Frank Castle and losing a hundred thousand troops, he behaved himself for a while. But upon hearing that Sofia personally acted in West City, he once again believed he could do it.

He was stirred with passion and vowed to fulfill his grandfather’s legacy, determined to wear the crown, which must be the Emperor Odin crown, not another emperor’s.

Theoretically, every Odin person has a strong claim to the throne of Odin Empire, and his grandfather didn’t err in thinking so.

But the Prudon Clan’s attempt to become emperor faced a lack of legitimate justification.

Emperor Odin once said that everyone is entitled to inherit his throne, but the prerequisite is being a human, specifically a citizen of Odin Empire.

Unfortunately, the Prudon Clan was merely horse slaves of the empire back in the day, breeding horses for the empire in the far northern plains.

What inheritance rights could horse slaves have?

This was the greatest challenge for the Prudon Clan’s quest for the throne.

Generations fought to cleanse this humble origin, and his father even wrote a blood-letter to warn descendants to remember the ancestral teachings.

This is the Prudon Kingdom, the Prudon Imperial Family.

A war machine with national mobilization, a fervent ethos, and a group of zealot leaders.

In short, this is a country driven by a fervent war sentiment, shrouded in a realm of berserker atmosphere.

The distorted fiscal allocation renders Prudon’s economy on the verge of collapse, with soaring inflation rates and youth unemployment turning the entire nation into a colossal powder keg.

Only war can resolve these contradictions.

Anyone opposing war is opposing the whole nation.

Facing the surging fervor of national mobilization, King Otto has no choice but to strike fiercely outward.

If he doesn’t strike fiercely outward, someone domestic is ready to strike fiercely against him.

After pondering for a long time, he raised his arm and called out, "Let the empire’s guns and artillery create jobs for the empire’s youth," a seemingly absurd but distinctly Prudon logic slogan.

Under his call, educated young people enlisted, joining this fervent war.

Within just a few months, the Prudon Kingdom became the first nation in the entire Rodinia Continent to implement universal national mobilization, recruiting over one million two hundred thousand troops. Including logistics personnel and workers involved in production in the rear factories, as well as farmers supplying food for the military, the number of people directly or indirectly serving the war exceeded ten million.

For the Prudon Kingdom with only a population of forty million, this was the limit of mobilization.

Unfortunately, their luck wasn’t very good. Their hope to inspire the populace with victory after national mobilization was dashed at Frank Castle.

Without any Victory, over a hundred thousand troops disappeared without a trace.

What follows is even more terrifying, the wavering of the people’s hearts.

Thousands of defeated soldiers who retreated from the front lines witnessed terror that seemed to destroy heaven and earth, completely shattering their fighting spirit, though their mouths were not gagged.

In the few ensuing months, these veterans who lost on the battlefield have already spread too much negative news.

Pushed to the brink, King Otto finally adopted decisive measures.

He built a rehabilitation hospital and sent over ten thousand survivors from the Frank Castle campaign into it.

This rehabilitation hospital had dozens of mediocre doctors and some novice priests, but the security personnel preventing unauthorized departure numbered over a thousand.

Soon, the "rehabilitated" realized something amiss.

It wasn’t a hospital; it much more resembled a prison. No, not resembled—it was clearly a prison.

Under the guise of massages replaced by flogging and consultations replaced by beatings, these soldiers finally understood their true situation.

Except for the very few hardcore individuals, others obediently accepted the arrangement, becoming slave laborers in this special veteran sanatorium, preparing equipment, uniforms, and supplies for the front-line warriors.

After removing the final batch of obstacles, King Otto finally triumphantly issued the battle mobilization order.

"Advance, warriors, fight for the reawakening of Odin Empire’s glory!"

Driven by astonishing rewards, the courage of the Prudon people re-appeared.

They roared into the de facto dividing line, the already ruined Frank Castle.

War, erupted once more.