Ashen Dragon-Chapter 124 - 54th Chapter - Bombardment

"Pillar, you motherfucker, you missed the shot!"

"Get out of here and stick to playing with the wheelchair gun!" Iron Madman shoved the Battlefield Wheelchair Man aside, cursing all the while.

He had thought this guy could actually handle the artillery, but it turned out to be all bluff, wasting one of his precious shells.

Iron Madman noticed that the general had not yet retreated from the city walls, so he immediately started recalculating and aiming again.

The distance wasn’t too far, and the terrain was particularly simple and open.

Iron Madman quickly ordered,

"Set up firing data!"

"Azimuth 27-00, elevation angle 06-80!"

The ogre "Bighead" immediately adjusted its position according to the command, casting a contemptuous glance at the Battlefield Wheelchair Man beside it. Meanwhile, another ogre began prepping the shell and setting the fuse. Continue your journey with novelbuddy

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man stood there, dumbfounded and unable to get involved, musing to himself, "Did an ogre just look down on my intelligence?"

However, Iron Madman had no time to care about his self-esteem, focusing solely on taking down that elite monster. He yelled,

"Ready—fire!"

With a thunderous roar, the shell once again screamed through the air, tracing a graceful arc in the sky.

But this time, after recalibration, the shell’s landing point was exceptionally accurate, clearly targeting that general.

...

At the city gate of Trolo City.

The pitch-black metal shell plummeted from the heavens, landing precisely beside Count Dawson Vileir.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion ensued.

Shrapnel flew in all directions, and dust filled the air.

Count Dawson was blasted from the city gate to the ground, becoming a mangled, charred mess of flesh, mixed with fragments of his shattered ancestral armor.

His adjutant and the City Defense Army nearby were also annihilated.

Not to mention the bricks that were blown off, falling among the crowds below the city wall, causing even more casualties.

"Oh my god—"

"Lord Earl is dead!"

"The Ashen Nest breached the city!"

"Help! They’re breaking in!"

Refugees crowded and cried as they fled in all directions, even causing a stampede at one point.

The City Defense Army was powerless to handle the situation. Their Lord Earl had been blown to smithereens, and many soldiers were paralyzed with fear from the falling shells, not knowing what to do.

"What—what do we do?"

"Should we continue to follow orders?"

"But... Lord Earl is dead, and even the captain is dead."

"I don’t know."

The City Defense Army could only stand by helplessly.

The news of the Earl’s death quickly spread throughout the city, plunging Trolo City into chaos. Loyal retainers swore to resist to the death and fulfill the Earl’s last wishes, while despicable nobles intended to surrender and protect their positions, and Pureblood Serpentfolk spies stirred trouble in the shadows.

...

Meanwhile, at the Ashen Nest’s stronghold.

The retainers were a bit puzzled by the commotion in Trolo City, but the players knew exactly what was happening.

[You killed Count Dawson Vileir, gaining 1200xp]

[You defeated an enemy general, gaining 5500 Faction Contribution from the Ashen Nest]

"Holy shit, one shot kill!"

Iron Madman’s eyes widened, staring at the generous rewards on the screen, filled with delight and surprise.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man whispered, "Boss, how did this ogre understand the instructions and aim so accurately?"

Iron Madman sneered, "This ogre is much smarter than you. He even memorized the artillery’s firing table. I only used three hundred pounds of raw meat to motivate him. Unlike you, who’s just a lousy aim."

"No way..."

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man muttered in disbelief, as if struck by lightning.

He had been outsmarted by an ogre?

Iron Madman patted him sympathetically on the shoulder, "You’re not suited for this complicated stuff. Once we have more resources, I’ll personally make you a Type two submachine gun. Now, go play somewhere else."

Ogre "Bighead" seemed to notice they were discussing him, turning his head with a challenging smile on his ugly face.

The Battlefield Wheelchair Man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, trying to change the subject and suddenly cheered, "Boss, you’re amazing! Fire again!"

"Give them a little fireworks show!"

Unexpectedly, the Goblin Chieftain and commander of this siege, Dolores, was attracted by the ruckus and came over personally, asking if these Starfallen could blow open the city wall.

"I don’t think so."

Iron Madman scratched his head awkwardly.

He patted the hot artillery barrel, only to hear a crisp explosion as the metal barrel suddenly cracked open like a blooming flower, emitting wisps of blue smoke.

"This was just a prototype for testing."

"It could only fire twice at most."

Not because he skimped on quality, secretly using the special mithril assigned to the Ashen Nest for making armor, and instead mixed inferior metal for the mortar barrel—Iron Madman silently added in his heart, vowing never to tell anyone about it.

As the day went on, the chaos in the city gradually subsided.

Dolores was somewhat disappointed but still looked at the tall city walls with a menacing smile.

"Master said to maintain order in the city."

"But if they don’t surrender, that’s not my problem."

A hint of savagery flashed in his eyes. It was said that his master would personally come to this siege. He had to showcase his valor and loyalty, making enemies tremble at the mention of his name.

"Boom—"

However, just as he was fantasizing, the heavy city gates slowly opened.

White flags fluttered on the tall city towers.

The once impregnable Trolo City had fallen easily, and the Ashen Nest had only expended two shells, one of which even missed.

Under Dolores’ command, the most orderly of the Goblin and Lizardfolk troops were the first to enter the city, followed by the players. The more unruly retainers like ogres and wyverns were left to camp outside the city.

As the gates opened, the Ashen Nest’s army formed neat lines and marched in.

The once bustling streets were now deserted, with only a few worried and frightened eyes occasionally peeking out from the cracks in doors and windows.

After Count Dawson’s death, the highest-ranking official in the city was Deputy City Lord, Viscount Berry, who now stood at the gates, respectfully welcoming the Ashen Nest’s army. Facing Dolores, who was tall and ferocious, his whole body quivered with fat.

"M—My lord, on behalf of all the citizens of Trolo City, I welcome you."

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

"Good."

Dolores grinned, his scaly face attempting to show a friendly smile.

However, it had the opposite effect, making the viscount even more terrified, fearing that this Dragon Vein Goblin would eat him in a fit of rage.

...

"People often regard the fall of Trolo City as a great humiliation, a complete farce, but in my view, it was merely a continuation of the results of the Triel Conference. If the Allied Forces hadn’t been utterly defeated, those bloodthirsty citizens would have returned to Trolo City, and this wouldn’t have gone down the same way."

— "History of the Duchy: The Fall of Trolo City," Duke Luton