Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 455 - 70: May Incident

Time had entered May.

The warm sea breeze from the Mediterranean had already swept across the Apennine Peninsula.

From Verona to Bologna, a total distance of 128 kilometers. The Emperor’s Alliance could only advance a short distance each day, often at a tremendous cost.

Continuously, soldiers from the Empire fell to the frequent attacks of the Synthetic Human forces, so much so that the morale within the troops had almost plummeted to rock bottom.

Any discerning individual could see that the Church Court was waging a technologically asymmetric war against the Empire, where the latter was losing real lives while the former was merely spending money.

Had it not been for the high prices the remains of the Synthetic Humans fetched at the army market, soldiers from various Duchies would have long since revolted.

The Emperor and the Dukes held one meeting after another, discussing the next combat plans. The Dukes expressed that their chances of victory were already low, and it might be better to retreat to the base of the Alps before the Church Court could cut off their retreat and envelop the Emperor’s Alliance.

However, the Emperor refused.

It was evident what would happen if they retreated, whether strategically or in disarray—soldiers would lose all belief in advancing forward, and driving them to attack south toward the Church Court would be exceptionally difficult.

Not to mention that launching this campaign had already overdrawn too much political prestige from the Royal Saxon Family. If they retreated now to regroup, it would imply that all previous efforts were in vain.

Once they reached the easy-to-defend, hard-to-attack foothills of the Alps, "returning to the country with troops" would become another viable option, alongside "continuing the attack," laid in front of the Dukes.

The Emperor didn’t even need to think to know which Dukes would stall for time and which would immediately suggest retreating back to the country... some may even incite knights to revolt, forcing the Emperor to comply.

So, retreating was not an option—it was more likely to be stuck here like a nail. If someone dared to start an internal disturbance causing trouble to him, they might as well all die when the Church Court’s troops breached the camp!

Facing the stubborn defiance of the old Emperor, the Dukes were quite helpless.

Everyone knew the only belief supporting the Emperor’s perseverance:

The third Magic Tide.

The first Magic Tide was last July, and the second Magic Tide was in January this year, roughly half a year apart. However, like menstruation, it could come early or be delayed. Even the Church Court couldn’t predict it months in advance.

Perhaps by June, the Magic Tide would arrive? Maybe even next week? After all, it was already May.

Once the Magic Tide arrived, not only the Synthetic Humans and drones but also the Temple Knights equipped with prosthetic limbs would lose their combat effectiveness. At that time, the Emperor’s Alliance could advance south like a broken bamboo and establish a victory before the Church Court could react.

The Emperor was gambling, staking the prestige of the Saxon Family and the lives of everyone in the Alliance, wagering that the Magic Tide would suddenly arrive early.

During this deadlock, some news from a Blade Warrior spy, who was listening to the ongoing meeting, reached the Emperor’s ears and immediately made the old Frankish man explode in rage.

"Bring me that damn market!" Emperor Otto had flipped the entire desk.

Following the Blade Warriors, the Emperor hurriedly left, whereas the Dukes looked at each other and quickly called their own Attendants to inquire about the situation.

Everyone soon learned the full story:

Originally, the merchants from Milan in the military market were buying up the remnants of synthetic humans/drones from the soldiers at high prices, while on the other hand, they sold them back to the Church Court at even higher prices for them to process, recycle, and put back onto the production line.

This cycle meant that the Church Court was saving money on raw materials, the Milan merchants were making a profit on the difference, and only the Emperor’s Alliance was trading the lives of their men for money, which then flowed back to the merchants through channels of alcohol/women and other pleasures.

It’s no wonder that the Emperor couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to dispatch troops to eliminate this cancerous military market.

The Blade Warriors quickly finished gearing up and surrounded the Emperor, charging towards the market with fierce momentum. The Dukes quickly informed their men, like those knights currently mingling in the market, to slip away in the opposite direction.

Otherwise, if caught by the enraged Emperor, there would be nowhere to seek justice if they were killed.

At this moment, Aske was strolling in the market with Mia and Miel, the two little girls each holding a roast chicken leg and a cone of ice cream, happily running around.

Children are easy to please, Aske mused. They were much easier to deal with than any mind-reading sister duo.

Suddenly, a commotion arose ahead, and the three followed the crowd’s direction to see fully armed Blade Warriors already blocking the market entrance, with many soldiers trying to leave the tents being pushed back and clashing with the blocking Blade Guards.

"Wow, Squad Leader, let’s run!" Mia instinctively wanted to take them through the Shadow Realm to escape, only to hear Aske say,

"Hold on, let’s see what’s happening."

Soon, a Blade Warrior stepped forward and announced the Emperor’s decree to the unaware soldiers and merchants;

From today, the military market is permanently closed and must not be reopened. Any merchant attempting to set up near the military camp will be regarded as a spy sent by the Church Court; any soldier who trades privately with merchants will be regarded as committing treason and arrested.

This order quickly ignited public outrage, as everyone’s daily battles were already harsh, constantly risking their lives. Now, the small chance to make some money from the spoils of war was also ruthlessly being stripped away by the Emperor...

Someone, unable to bear it anymore, cried out, and then blood was suddenly shed!

Those present hadn’t even reacted to whether it was the Blade Warriors or the soldiers who struck first. In any case, the conflict suddenly escalated like lightning, catching everyone off guard. By the time the remaining people came to their senses, they were involuntarily swept into the turmoil!

Mia and Miel were terrified and quickly tried to pull Aske back, only to find that he was gone.

Had he gone back to Fire Island, or had he suddenly left?

The two little girls looked at each other, Mia immediately drew the short knife strapped to her forearm, and Miel reached for the handgun at her thigh (her sniper rifle was too conspicuous to bring). The two cautiously retreated to the nearest tent, standing back-to-back, scanning their surroundings, watching coldly as the chaotic soldiers drew their swords or firearms, launching a frenzied attack on the Blade Warriors blocking the camp entrance.

Limbless bodies danced, flesh flew everywhere, and the air was thick with the sounds of gunfire and roars.

Suddenly, Aske appeared with Nora, Medea, and Peggy, having teleported from Fire Island.

"Quickly search the nearby Subconscious Ocean to see who is inciting this upheaval!"

Nora and Medea immediately nodded, swiftly activating their Mind Vision, while Peggy employed the Death Law’s salvage skill. Countless manifest death tadpoles emerged from the void, stealthily entering the Subconscious Ocean to start searching the thoughts of those nearby, alive or dead.

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