Chapter 43: Battle in the Mud 1

All preparations were complete. I departed with 30 snails and 35 water buffaloes, including spares. Of course, since we were starting on land, the snail plates were removed, making them ordinary carriages. The water buffaloes needed to be sprinkled with water occasionally, so the carriages were loaded with numerous water jars and enough food for the immediate future.

"Thank you very much for everything. We're departing now," I said goodbye to my father-in-law and set off. "Come back safely," all the members of the Hochberg family waved us goodbye.

It would take about two days to reach the Feliciano Republic's base. Well, since there weren't any particularly problematic areas, we could take it slowly. "What kind of country is the Feliciano Republic?" I asked Ryu. "The Feliciano Republic can be described as a country of merchants, with more than half of its citizens being merchants. In that country, when people become adults, they form joint caravans and travel to various places to buy and sell goods." "There are nobles too, but there's hardly any distinction between them and commoners, and they become merchants just the same. There is no king; instead, a leader is elected through a complex election system to govern." "So they're not strong in battle?" "That's not true. Since they travel everywhere in caravans, they're often attacked by bandits. Because of this, everyone is both a merchant and a soldier, and they're quite formidable." "I see, that's reassuring."

We continued along a narrow road with mud terrain on one side and rocky mountains on the other. Ahead was a somewhat wider flat area where tents were densely clustered. It appeared to be the Feliciano Republic's base.

As we approached the base, we were challenged by a soldier. "Who goes there? State your name and affiliation." "We are a unit from the Burg Kingdom who accepted a request from your country to transport supplies. We are certainly not suspicious. Please speak to your commander." "Understood. Wait there." It seemed the message was relayed, and soon someone who appeared to be the commander arrived.

It was a stunningly beautiful woman with fiery red hair. "I apologize for the rudeness of our guards. I am Agenda, commander of the Gorza Mine Recovery Unit. Please, come in." "I am Han, commander of the Burg Kingdom dispatch unit. This is my adjutant, Ryu. And this is Hans, our technical officer. Pleased to meet you." Commander Agenda scrutinized the water buffaloes and carriages. "The water buffaloes are a good idea, but carriages won't work in this muddy terrain." "We understand that. We're going to modify the carriages for muddy terrain. Just wait and see," Hans declared proudly. "This should be interesting. I'm looking forward to it."

We entered the base and set up our tents for the time being. Since water buffaloes seemed more comfortable in mud, we let them roam freely in the muddy area. They were submerging themselves in mud and rolling around, looking extremely comfortable.

We retired to our tents early that day.

The next day, we began assembling the snails. Hans directed while the technicians under his command assembled them. We promptly assembled one and began a test run. The snail moved smoothly through the muddy terrain. The soldiers of the Feliciano Republic cheered at the sight. "This is well thought out. I'm impressed," Commander Agenda muttered, seemingly moved. She was staring intently. "With this, there won't be any problems moving through the muddy terrain. Thank you, Lord Han. I'm grateful." "It's too early for thanks. Let's wait until the operation succeeds." "You're right, the operation hasn't even begun yet. Let's stay focused."